PARIS: Mipcom Cannes is recasting itself as the global meeting ground for the creator economy, unveiling a 13–16 October programme that director Lucy Smith calls “the biggest generational shift the market has ever seen”. She declared the creator economy “no longer emerging—it’s arrived”, signalling a fresh era for storytelling, distribution and monetisation.
The scale remains vast: organisers expect more than 10,500 delegates from over 100 countries to pack the Palais des Festivals and surrounding beachfront. Joining the traditional powerhouses—Disney, Warner Bros Discovery, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount Global, Banijay, BBC Studios, ZDF Studios and ITV Studios—are creator-led platforms and digital natives such as YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Dhar Mann Studios, Tubi, Samsung TV Plus and Luma AI. Big advertisers and agencies including Mattel, Toys“R”Us, Ancestry, Dentsu and McCann are coming to broker brand-funded projects.
YouTube mounts its most ambitious presence yet: a dedicated space on the Croisette, daily workshops and a headline keynote with EMEA vice-president Pedro Pina and BBC Studios digital chief Jasmine Dawson in conversation with industry analyst Evan Shapiro. The rebadged MIP Creative Hub—formerly the Producers Hub—will host four days of matchmaking between creators, studios and brands.
Fresh summits aim to blur the lines between TV, tech and social platforms. The BrandStorytelling Summit, imported from Sundance, will showcase how advertisers and digital talent collaborate on narrative campaigns. The Innovation Lab expands with an AI summit and new demo areas for cloud production, virtual sets and immersive formats. Panels will dissect monetisation models from Fast and AVoD to direct-to-fan subscriptions.
MIPJunior, the kids’ pre-market on 11–12 October, moves into the Palais for the first time, offering dedicated matchmaking and a premiere of Ki & Hi in the Panda Kingdom, based on Kevin Tran’s best-selling manga.
High-wattage speakers include Mattel Studios president Robbie Brenner, Banijay chief Marco Bassetti, Mediawan Pictures CEO Elisabeth d’Arvieu and Toys“R”Us CMO Kim Miller Olko, alongside creators Callum “Callux” McGinley and Dhar Mann. World premieres on the main stage feature Paramount’s Boston Blue, ZDF’s Ku’damm 77 and a Sony preview of The Miniature Wife, with cast members Donnie Wahlberg, Sonequa Martin-Green and Matthew Macfadyen expected.
By weaving creators into every strand—from keynotes to co-production hubs—MIPCOM is betting that the next wave of global television will be forged as much by YouTubers and TikTokers as by Hollywood studios. The 2025 edition aims to prove that the Croisette can be the crossroads where legacy broadcasters and digital disruptors strike their biggest deals yet.
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